Community Health Corner
April 21, 2026
Submitted by Elaine Johannes
America’s Health Ranking Kansas Summary Report for 2025, lists Kansas as number 27 of the 50 states in overall health of its residents. Let’s all pull together to raise that ranking! K-State Extension is working with others to improve everyone’s health.
From urban, metro, suburban, rural and frontier locations, Extension works in partnership with communities to deliver meaningful, timely relevant programs and initiatives for health and well-being. The following resources help us improve well-being and achieve national Healthy People 2030 objectives.
Wildfire Smoke and Ash Impact Lung and Eye Health: Controlled burns as well as wildfires in Midwest states impact air quality.
According to the region’s Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS‑CASH) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center residents, agricultural workers and cleanup crews should take steps to protect their lungs, eyes, skin and overall health during fires. Fire smoke contains fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, increasing the risk of coughing, shortness of breath, asthma, bronchitis and cardiovascular complications.
CS‑CASH recommends that individuals working in smoky conditions monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI) and take additional protective measures when air quality reaches unhealthy levels. The AQI in your area can be found at www.AirNow.gov.
The minimum recommended level of respiratory protection is a NIOSH‑approved N95 respirator, which filters out fine particles found in wildfire smoke and ash. CS‑CASH has developed free, wildfire safety resources, including fact sheets on wildfire smoke exposure, lung protection, respirator use, and recovery safety, available on the CS‑CASH website.
Kansas Measles Data Dashboard: Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but record-breaking outbreaks over the past 15 months are threatening that status. Measles outbreaks like those the U.S. has seen in 2025 and 2026 signal weakening immunization systems that could allow other vaccine-preventable diseases to resurge.
Learn about measles in Kansas through the KDHE Measles Data Dashboard here. The latest vaccination information is available through the Immunize Kansas Coalition (IKC) here.
Opportunities
- Food Recovery: In recognition of Earth Month, Hunger Free Kansas lists the following food recovery (collecting safe, edible surplus food which would be wasted) resources in Kansas:
- Chronic Pain Self-Management Leader Training: KDHE is offering virtual and free leader training in chronic pain self-management on Tuesday, May 26 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Wednesday, May 27 (1 p.m. to 5 p.m.).
Register here by May 18. Learn more about chronic pain self-management here.
- Maternal Mortality Conference: The Million Moments for Maternal Mortality Prevention conference is being held at Sporting Park in Kansas City, July 29-30. Sign-up here for updates on this free conference which is sponsored by KDHE and the HRSA-supported Kansas Connecting Communities initiative.
For more information, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu; and Stephanie Gutierrez, smgutier@k-state.edu
